State failure and success in Uganda and Zimbabwe: The logic of political decay and reconstruction in Africa (original) (raw)
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Africa: Understanding State Reconstruction
2006
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The problematic of state failure in Africa
El-Tawassol, 2021
The study focuses on literature on the concept of "failed State", and the main reason that makes some African countries on the top of the list of failed States in the world. The research will also discuss the secret behind the rush of Western countries to describe most African countries as failed countries, without taking in the consideration the differences between them, and the most undeclared objectives behind the excessive use of this concept. By highlighting this phenomenon, the paper will try to prove that failed States concept cannot be used as a reliable criterion for assessing the politico-economic realities of African countries.
The European Journal of Development Research, 2009
This article provides a critical review of recent literature that has attempted to define what a 'failed state' is and explains why such states emerge. It is argued that aggregate indices of 'failure' are misleading due to the wide variations of capacity across state functions within a polity. The focus on ranking states also distracts attention away from analyses concerning the dynamics of state capacity. Moreover, many of the definitions either compare reality to a Weberian ideal, or assume that violence is 'development in reverse', both of which are ahistorical and unhelpful as a guide to policy. The second part of the article assesses the contributions of functionalist, 'new war' and neo-Tillean approaches to explain state failure. The article finds that while these theories take concrete historical situations seriously, they have important theoretical and empirical shortcomings. Finally, the conclusion outlines an agenda for further research. Cet article offre un examen critique de la litte´rature re´cente cherchant a`de´finir ce qu'est un É tat de´faillant, ainsi que les raisons donnant lieu a`leur e´mergence. Il conside`re que les indicateurs agre´ge´s permettant d'e´tablir qu'un É tat est de´faillant sont tous trompeurs en raison de la grande variation qui peut exister au sein d'un meˆme É tat quant a`sa capacite´a`assurer ses diffe´rentes fonctions. Il est souligne´que les classements de´tournent l'attention des analyses portant sur la dynamique variable de la capacite´des É tats. Plusieurs approchent comparent, de plus, la re´alite´avec un ide´al weberien, ou bien supposent que la violence est une forme de de´veloppement) a`l'envers *, ce qui constitue une pre´supposition anhistorique et inutile du point de vue de l'aide a`la de´cision. La deuxie`me partie de l'article se penche en particulier sur les contributions fonctionnalistes, du paradigme des) nouvelles guerres *, ainsi que des approches base´es sur les the´ories de Charles Tilly. Bien que prenant en compte les re´alite´s historiques, ces diffe´rentes approches ont toutes des points faibles, tant the´oriques qu'empiriques, et la conclusion de l'article se base sur ces derniers afin d'e´laborer un agenda de recherche futur a`propos des É tats de´faillants.
Collapse, war and reconstruction in Uganda An analytical narrative on state-making
Since independence from British colonial rule, Uganda has had a turbulent political history characterised by putsches, dictatorship, contested electoral outcomes, civil wars and a military invasion. There were eight changes of government within a period of twenty-four years (from 1962-1986), five of which were violent and unconstitutional. This paper identifies factors that account for these recurrent episodes of political violence and state collapse. While colonialism bequeathed the country a negative legacy including a weak state apparatus, ethnic division, skewed development, elite polarisation and a narrow economic base, post-colonial leaders have on the whole exacerbated rather than reversed these trends. Factors such as ethnic rivalry, political exclusion, militarisation of politics, weak state institutions, and unequal access to opportunities for self-advancement help to account for the recurrent cycles of violence and state failure prior to 1986. External factors have also b...
2008
Since independence from British colonial rule, Uganda has had a turbulent political history characterised by putsches, dictatorship, contested electoral outcomes, civil wars and a military invasion. There were eight changes of government within a period of twenty-four years (from 1962-1986), five of which were violent and unconstitutional. This paper identifies factors that account for these recurrent episodes of political violence and state collapse. While colonialism bequeathed the country a negative legacy including a weak state apparatus, ethnic division, skewed development, elite polarisation and a narrow economic base, post-colonial leaders have on the whole exacerbated rather than reversed these trends. Factors such as ethnic rivalry, political exclusion, militarisation of politics, weak state institutions, and unequal access to opportunities for self-advancement help to account for the recurrent cycles of violence and state failure prior to 1986. External factors have also b...
‘Failed States’ in Question and the Case of Sub-Saharan Africa
L’Espace Politique, 2017
This paper is about 'failed states' and how we might understand them. The term has come to refer to states that have difficulty imposing civil order; where social provision has markedly deteriorated; where mortality rates are increasing; where movements of a more universalist sort, as notably with the jihadists, can find fertile conditions for recruiting and for their activities more generally; and continually, it seems, the state has difficulty managing the national economy and achieving balance both externally and with respect to its own spending. Resort to the IMF for a bailout is, accordingly, a common index of 'failure.'
A PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS OF THE PHENOMENON OF STATE FAILURE IN AFRICA
Jude Orinya Azuka, 2023
The increasing wave of state failure since the end of the Cold War has become a disturbing phenomenon. The state failure syndrome has become particularly worrisome for African states. This paper examined the causes of state failure and its consequences on Africa. It employed the method of analysis and hermeneutic to interpret and critically examine the different views on state failure. The work argue that the faulty foundation on which most African states were built is one of the major reasons why African states are the major victims of failed states in the world. A look at the recent ranking of failed states in the world reveals that African states dominate the first thirty countries in the Fragile State Index (FIS). The paper suggests that an Afro constructive approach will help in the rebuilding of Africa's weak institutions. The work therefore concludes that unless Africa's political, economic, educational, religious and social institutions are built on a strong foundation; development will continue to elude Africa.
‘Failed States’ in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review of the Literature
2011
The concept and measurement of ‘failed states’ is not generally helpful in understanding the economic and political realities in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper undertakes a review of the literature that addresses the concept, measurement and causes of ‘failed states’ in Sub-Saharan Africa. It finds that concept and measurement of ‘failed states’ is not generally helpful in understanding economic and political realities in Sub-Saharan Africa. In particular, it argues that an aggregate index of state performance is unhelpful for policymakers because it misses the wide range of capacity across different state functions within polities. It also finds that the main theories attempting to explain ‘state failure’ have important theoretical shortcomings and are not supported by the evidence. Finally, the paper examines the political economy behind why some states in the region are more resilient than others.